Paving block



March e, 1921er..

A. w. BUTLER PAVING BLoCK Filed March 9, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 Int/antw* maman@ March s, 1928.

` A. W. BUTLER PAVING BLOCK Filed March 9, 1925 2 sheets-sheet 2 ay llozzw Patented Mar. 6, 192t5.Y

@UNITED 4STATES ifnfrr.NT ori-lcs y ALToN WEBsTEnBUTnEa or WEST Barnsnwarnn, Massacnusnrrs.

` PAVING BLOCK.

- Application sied Marche, 1,925. :serial No. 14,117.

v In the art of paving,.various substitutes have been proposed for theusuall stone or Wooden paving block in the effort toobtain a pavingsuriface which willbe suiiiciently resilient, noiseless .and `wear-resistant to meetthe severe conditions of modern street traic.

I have discovered that, a very satiliictory paving block may be fproduced by cementing and solidly compressing together' a plurality ot alternate tread units oill rub-` ber and .fabric with the unitsdisposed vertically edgewise so as to present a resilient, substantially noiseless tread surface which not. only possesses the requisite tractive qualities, but is practically ,impervious to wear.

The tread units comprising my paving blockmay beobtainedlrom any desired source but are preferably obtained from the Worn shoes of automobile tires... I thus convert what has heretofore been regarded as a waste product into an article' ol" utilitarian value v,and I. accomplish this without subjecting the shoes to further vulcanization 0r any other form` of heat treatment.

According to my method, the shoes are severed into continuous strips from, which I subsequently die outthe individual tread units, aft-erywhich the requisite number of these units necessary to make up a paving block of conventional size arev cemented and solidly compressed together intol paving block form. By using material of this na-,

ture, I secure alternating tread units of fabric and rubber in whichthe fabric and rubber components of the, individual tread units were permanently united to each other during the process of vulcanizing the shoe and hence cannot slip and move relative to each other under the action of the various bodies passing over them when laid as a paving surface.

The construction and method of producing my paving block is described and illustrated in the accompanying specification and drawings, andV the characteristic features of novelty are particularly pointed out on the appended claims.` Throughout the specification and drawings', like reference characters are'correspondingly applied. In the drawings: l

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view showing paving sand in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of my novel paving blocks.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the same.

Fig. 4 is a transverse view brokento show Fig. 6 shows one ol said units.

Fig. 7 `illustrates the .subsequent step ot compressing the tread units into conventional paving block form.

2F ig. 8. is ,an end view. looking troniV the line 8 8 of Fig. 7. I

Fig. 9 is a view oi one of my compression clips. f y

My paving -bloclr consists of a plurality of units T each comprising'layers oic rubber o and fabric These` units are cemented and pressed solidly-*together into a block B of conventional form the layers being disposed vertically edgewise so. as` to present a resilient, substantially noiseless tread surunitsconstituting thepaving-blockI are pierced with registering holes through which extend longitudinally disposed tie rods which serve to clampthe tread units in the assembly indicated in the drawings, being headed at one end` and provided with. loch nuts i at their opposite end;

.If desired, anchoring lugs 5 may be hung from the tie rods as shown inFig. l. These lugs have anchoring portions 6 disposed belowthe bottom face of the block and bend tolodge .in the cement 7 or other binding material lorbe driven in awooden base or floor when suchis used for the roadway base. The interstices between the individual blocks are filled with any usual pitcher asphalt binder S commonly employed in roadway building.

The alternate layers of rubber and fabric may be obtained from any desired source, but are preferably obtained by cutting up the worn shoes of automobile tires.L In Figs. 5 to S, I illustrate a characteristic method for' carrying out this phase of my invention. Referring to Fig. 5, I have indicated at S a discarded shoe of therfabric type, that is, of i the type wherein fabric wear strips are vulthe action of a vertically reciprocating die 11 which dies out from the tread portion of the shoe a series of individual tread units T each consisting of a layer of rubber r and an embedded layer of fabric The strips of the shoe on either side of the central strip thus removed are afterwards set beneath the die 1l and similarly cut up into individual tread layer units.

These individual tread units are next built up into a paving block of conventional form by first punching out the holes which receive the tie rods 3, after which the individual units are dipped in a cementitious coating and strung` on the tic rods. TWhen a suilicient number of units are assembled to form a paving block of the required dimensions the assembly is inserted in a form 14, as shovrn in Fig. 7 and subjected to the action of a press 15 which compresses them into a solid homogeneous unit. This form consists of a base block from which rises at the corners thereof a vertical series of guide bars in the form of angle irons 1T between which the tread assembly is endwise entered as indicated in Fig. 7. The angle irons are hinged at their lower ends at 18 to the base block and are connected to each other between their ends by pivoted latches 19 Whereby the 'form may be collapsed and the linished paving block removed after the press has operated. Before the' form is collapsed however, and While the assembly is still held compressed, the nuts 4 are applied to the upper ends of the tie rods 3 and are permanently locked thereon in any desired manner as by heading said ends over said nuts. The blocks are held in compressed condition by clips 20 which are Withdrawn after the blocks are laid in mutual compression to form the paving surface. I thus form a pavement consisting of similar blocks of conventional dimensions and of such outline as to permit them to be laid in close juxtaposition to each other so as to present a substantially continuous tread surface composed entirely of the exposed upper edges of a multiplicity of relatively thin vertically disposed lamin of fabric and rubber arranged in close laid con'xpressed relation to each other. Such a tread is resilient, noiseless and nonslipping. It has unusual capacity for absorbing concussion shock and by reason of the edgewise disposition of the rubber and fabric laminae will Wear indefinitely.

Various modifications in the construction and method of assemblingr my paving block may obviously be resorted to if within the limits of the appended claims.

vWhat I therefore claim and desire to sccure by Letters Patent is:

1. A pavement consisting of a plurality of paving blocks, each having a contour permitting it to be laid in close juxtaposition to other similar blocks, each block consisting of a plurality of relatively short laminae of rubber and fabric assembled face to face in vertical edgewise relation and compressed to form a block of uniform dimensions presentng a substantially continuous resilient, nonskid and noiseless tread surface composed entirely of the exposed upper edges of the rubber and fabric lamina?.

A pavement consisting of a plu ality of paving blocks. each having a contour permitting it to be laid in close juxtaposition to other similar blocks, each block consisting of a plurality of relatively short lamime of rubber and fabric assembled face to face in vertical edgewise relation and compressed to form a block of uniform diniensious presenting a substantially continuous resilient, non-skid and noiseless tread surface com posed entirely of the exposed upper edges of the rubber and fabric laminae, and anchoring members extending from said blocks.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

ALTUN WEBSTER BUTLER.

CERTIFICATE OF CRRECTIN.

Patent No. 1,661,407. Granted March 6, 1928, to

ALTON WEBSTER BUTLER.

It is hereby eetified that the above numbered patent was erroneeusly issued to die inventer said Butler, as owner of said invention, whereas said paten should have been issued to E. H. Clapp Rubber Company, of Boston, Massechnsets, a Corporation of Massaeimsets, as assignee of the entire nteies in said invention as shown by the records o'eesgm ments in this office; and that the said Letters Patent shouid be rend wh this correcion therein that the same may conform to the record of the ease in the Patent ffice.

Signed and sealed this 10th day of April, A. D. 1928.

A M, J. Moore, (Sea) Acting Commissioner of Paents. 

